


Change of Focus

by kitty_fic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Friendship, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-26
Updated: 2010-11-26
Packaged: 2018-04-19 15:46:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4751981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitty_fic/pseuds/kitty_fic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who could have imagined that Draco Malfoy was this easy to talk to, when he wasn't being a git?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Change of Focus

**Author's Note:**

  * For [celestlyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestlyn/gifts).



> Originally published November 26, 2010 on [Livejournal](http://kitty-fic.livejournal.com/36460.html) as a birthday gift for Celestlyn.
> 
> * * *
> 
>  _Celestlyn,_  
>  _You have been such a wonderfully supportive friend to me the last few months since I joined in the h/d fandom and I am so very thankful for you. I hope that your birthday is filled with happiness and smiles! Enjoy your day!_  
>  <3,  
>  _~Kitty_

Harry couldn't help feeling uneasy as he entered the Ministry hosted celebration one year after Voldemort's demise. He had no desire to be there, in dress robes, playing the part of Savior of the Wizarding World again, but he was being recognized tonight, along with all the others who had played an integral part in the war. It was a special kind of torture; especially when it meant suffering through two hours of mingling, dancing and being in the spotlight before the award ceremony would even begin. His eyes darted around, wishing for some route of escape, when he finally saw it.

Edging his way across the room, staying on the outskirts of the crowd and clinging to the walls, Harry made his way to his chosen sanctuary. Once inside the cloak closet, he breathed a sigh of relief. Harry thought he could very possibly hide out here undetected for the remainder of the evening; at least until he would be expected to receive his Order of Merlin. Lifting his gaze, he took in his surroundings and was surprised to see that he was not alone.

"Potter," Malfoy spoke with a polite nod of his head.

"Malfoy," Harry replied graciously, while still looking awkwardly around the room to see what else he may have missed. If he had overlooked a detail as important as the fact that Draco Malfoy, of all people, was standing in what should have been his perfect hiding place, then there was no telling what other surprises might lay in wait for him.

Unable to hide his surprise, Harry asked, "Um, what are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I imagine. Hiding from your adoring public," Draco drawled in return.

Looking affronted, Harry rejoined, "Hiding is a strong word, wouldn't you say?"

"I only call it like I see it." Draco gave him a measuring look.

"I just. . . I wanted a few minutes of peace before I had to go back out there, that's all. It can be a bit overwhelming." Harry couldn't seem to stop himself from talking. "I never wanted this. I played my part and now it's done."

Draco looked thoughtful as he listened to the words tumbling out of Harry's mouth, not quite sure what to make of this turn of events.

"I just want to move forward. They can call it a celebration all they want, but it doesn't do anything for me but resurface the bad memories," Harry babbled on.

As Harry's words sunk in, Draco lowered his gaze to the ground and spoke softly, yet meaningfully, "I understand."

With the intense gaze Draco pinned on him when he raised his head again, Harry thought that he really did understand much more than he would have previously given him credit for.

Looking into Draco's grey eyes, Harry met them directly with his green. "That still doesn't explain why _you_ are in here. I would have thought you, of all people, would be relishing in all the attention?"

"What's it to you, Potter?" Draco snapped; slipping easily into their familiar routine.

Harry replied just as easily. "Just looks a bit suspicious if you ask me. Are you sliding back into your nefarious ways so soon?"

Draco opened his mouth once, closed it, then opened it again, finally allowing the words to flow out. "To be honest, I find it all a bit surreal that Mother and I are being revered as heroes, instead of villains. As much as I appreciate the notion, I'm just. . . I'm not sure that I deserve it. . . any of it. I did far more damage than I did good." Draco said dejectedly.

Draco wondered what had possessed him to speak so openly, laying his heart out for Potter to see. Alone in a room with no distractions, other than the myriad cloaks around them, Draco found Harry's emerald eyes so expressive and welcoming; he found it was surprisingly easy to keep going in spite of himself.

"Don't get me wrong. The alternative to the attention I'm receiving tonight would definitely have left something to be desired. I could have just as easily been spending this night in Azkaban as here with you in a cloak closet. Actually, I probably would have guessed prison over this eventuality, if I'd been asked the odds."

"That's not true!" Harry exclaimed, moving closer to the blond as he spoke. You and your mother both saved my life. You were invaluable to the war." Harry lowered his voice to a whisper. ". . .invaluable to me."

Surprise flickered in Draco's eyes for a split second, before he reined his emotions back in again. It shouldn't have been a shock to him that Harry would speak so passionately on the subject. It was a vivid reminder of how Harry had spoken to the Wizengamot at the Malfoys' trial. In that instance, Harry had been speaking to a room full of witches and wizards, but this time, the intensity of his words and those vibrant green eyes were solely focused on Draco. He found the force of it stifling; as if Harry's words had command over the very air in the room.

Watching several emotions play across Draco's face, Harry decided that seeing the Slytherin so unrestricted was completely fascinating. Who could have imagined that Draco Malfoy was this easy to talk to, when he wasn't being a git?

Had Draco really changed this much through the war, or was there a depth to him that Harry had missed over the years? Either way, Harry was determined to find out and he began rifling through his memories. Recollections of their many encounters flashed through his mind one after another; how tightly Draco had held to him as they flew away from the Fiendfyre, the desperation evident on his face as he refused to identify Harry at Malfoy Manor, the mutual obsession that was their entire sixth year, those infuriating blinking badges, the raging competition in their many Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch matches, watching him fall in front of Buckbeak, the snake flying from his wand as he spoke the Serpensortia spell and, finally, the first look at the haughty boy in the robe shop.

From the very first moments that Harry knew he was a wizard, Draco had always been there, a constant force in his life, pulling towards each other with a magnetic-like force, circling each other, always controlled by some invisible gravitational field that they had no power over.

Now, here Draco was again, obviously different, yet somehow still the same; looking for all the world like he had been broken and put back together again, but not quite correctly. Squinting, Harry discovered that, if he looked hard enough, he could still see the smug yet hopeful boy who had offered his hand in friendship so very long ago.

Watching Draco hiding here in the closet with him, afraid to face the crowd, Harry felt a surge of protectiveness overcome him. Draco had been the perfect rival, enraging and challenging him at the same time, but now the time had come for something different, something more, and Harry knew exactly what he had to do.

Closing his eyes, taking a deep breath and calling on every bit of his Gryffindor nature, Harry shoved his hand out in front of him. Moments passed as Harry waited what felt like an eternity. Finally, he felt the weight of Draco's hand resting in his and Harry clasped it tightly. Maybe a little too tightly; though only a split second passed before Harry found the strength of will to loosen his grip on Draco's hand.

Slowly, raising his eyes to the blond, he took in Draco's reaction as a peaceful expression crossed his slightly pointed face; as if everything that was wrong in the world had finally been set right. He moved his gaze down to their clasped hands, then met Draco's gaze head-on once again, but instead of shaking his hand, Harry found himself caressing; stroking his thumb softly across the back of the other man's hand.

Everything they shared had always been so intense, profound and passionate. Even in that moment, as the tide between them turned, it was obvious that the same fervor still existed between them, the only change was its focus.


End file.
